Elections (voting from abroad) for Canadians

Op-Ed: Elections Canada

Elections (voting from abroad)

Canadians who are temporarily living or travelling outside Canada can, under certain conditions, vote by special ballot in federal elections, by-elections and referendums.

You may vote by special mail-in ballot if you are a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older on polling day and if you:

  • usually live in Canada, but are away from your electoral district during the electoral period, or
  • have been living outside Canada for less than five consecutive years (or longer if you meet certain employment-based criteria for exemption from the five-year limit) and meet certain other criteria.

Living abroad

If you are living abroad, you may apply to be added to Elections Canada’s International Register of Electors at any time. You must submit a completed Application for registration and special ballot for Canadian citizens residing outside Canada and provide copies of supporting documents that prove your identity. This form is available at any Canadian government office abroad, on the Elections Canada website or by calling Elections Canada at 613-993-2975. Completed applications and copies of supporting documents should be mailed or faxed to Elections Canada in Ottawa. Once your completed application has been approved, your name is added to the International Register of Electors. A special voting ballot is mailed to you when an election is called.

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សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​រង់ចាំ​ជួប​ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​កំពូល​បក្ស​ប្រជាជន

Op-Ed: The Phnom Penh Post Khmer Language

WEDNESDAY, 26 MARCH 2014
មាស សុខជា

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លោក​ សម រង្ស៊ី ធ្វើ​សន្និសីទ​កា​សែត​នៅ​ព្រលាន​យន្ត​ហោះ​អន្តរ​ជាតិ​ភ្នំ​ពេញ​ម្សិល​មិញ​​។ រូបថត ម៉ៃ វីរៈ

ភ្នំពេញៈ ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​គណបក្ស​ប្រឆាំង​កំពុង​រង់​ចាំ​ចម្លើយ​ពី​ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​គណបក្ស​កាន់​អំណាច ក្នុង​ការ​ជួប​ចរចា​រវាង​ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​កំពូល​ដើម្បី​ធ្វើ​ការ​ពិភាក្សា​ទៅ​លើ​ការ​កែ​ទម្រង់​ប្រព័ន្ធ​បោះឆ្នោត​ដែល​ការ​ចរចា​ថ្នាក់​ក្រុម​បច្ចេកទេស​មិន​អាច​ដោះស្រាយ​បាន ដោយ​ធ្វើ​ការ​ព្រមាន​ថា ប្រសិន​បើ​កិច្ច​ប្រជុំ​ថ្នាក់​កំពូល មិន​ទទួល​បាន​ជោគជ័យ​ទេ​នោះ​បាតុកម្ម​ជា​ថ្មី​នឹង​ត្រូវ​ធ្វើ​ឡើង​ដោយ​ចៀស​មិន​រួច។

លោក សម រង្ស៊ី ប្រធាន និង​លោក កឹម សុខា អនុ​ប្រធាន​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​បាន​ថ្លែង​កាល​ពី​ម្សិលមិញ​ថា បន្ទាប់​ពី​កិច្ច​ប្រជុំ​ក្រុម​ការងារ​បច្ចេកទេស​របស់​គណបក្ស​ទាំង​ពីរ​ត្រូវ​បាន​ផ្អាក គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​កំពុង​រង់ចាំ​ការ​ឆ្លើយ​តប​ពី​ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​ចំពោះ​កិច្ច​ប្រជុំ​ថ្នាក់​កំពូល។

លោក កឹម សុខា បញ្ជាក់​ថា៖ «ប្រសិន​បើ​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​យល់​ថា កំណែ​ទម្រង់​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​ជាតិ​រៀបចំ​ការ​បោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប) ពិត​ជា​មាន​សារៈ​សំខាន់ ចង់​បាន គ.ជ.ប ឯករាជ្យ​ពិត​ប្រាកដ​ចង់​ដោះស្រាយ​បញ្ហា​សូម​កុំ​ពន្យារ​ពេល គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​ត្រូវ​ឆ្លើយ​តប​ចំពោះ​អ្វី​ដែល​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​បាន​លើក​ឡើង ដើម្បី​ឲ្យ​មាន​កិច្ច​ប្រជុំ​ថ្នាក់​កំពូល។ ដូច្នេះ​យើង​កំពុង​រង់ចាំ»។

លោក កឹម សុខា បាន​រិះគន់​ថា កិច្ច​ប្រជុំ​រវាង​ក្រុម​បច្ចេកទេស​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន និង​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​គឺ​គ្មាន​ប្រយោជន៍​ទេ ព្រោះ​ថា ក្រុម​ការងារ​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន មិន​អាច​សម្រេច​អ្វី​ដែល​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​បាន​លើក​ឡើង​ទេ ដូច្នេះ គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន តែង​តែ​ពន្យារ​ពេល​ធ្វើ​ឲ្យ​ខាត​បង់​ពេល​វេលា។

លោក​បន្ថែម​ថា៖ «ជា​ធម្មតា ពេល​យើង​ទាមទារ​តាម​ការ​ចរចា​មិន​អាច​ទៅ​រួច យើង​ធ្វើ​បាតុកម្ម»។

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Rainsy Returns From Abroad, Threatens Demonstrations—Again

Op-Ed: The Cambodia Daily
Rainsy Returns From Abroad, Threatens Demonstrations—Again
BY  AND  | MARCH 26, 2014

 

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy returned from a trip to Australia on Tuesday and threatened the resumption of mass demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen if the ruling CPP continues to refuse opposition demands to reform the National Election Committee (NEC).

Arriving at CNRP headquarters in Phnom Penh’s Chak Angre Leu commune after a weeklong trip to Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Rainsy told supporters that the opposition was now considering its options after the apparent breakdown of the bipartisan National Electoral Commission.

“Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have good news, and the news will follow the willingness of the people,” Mr. Rainsy said.

“We follow the will of the people, and if they want to do demonstrations, we will do demonstrations again—bigger and bigger,” he told about 100 supporters. “I am waiting to listen to you.”

On Monday, CPP and CNRP representatives refused to even appear alongside each other after the fourth meeting of their electoral commission, which has been marred by discord since its creation late last month.

CPP delegates have said they will not consider an opposition proposal to require two-thirds of the National Assembly to agree on appointees to the NEC, which is currently controlled by the ruling party.

The opposition in turn suggested that the issue should be discussed in direct talks between Mr. Rainsy and Prime Minister Hun Sen.

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An exercise in futility?

CNRP members attend a meeting to discuss National Election Committee reform at the Senate in Phnom Penh

CNRP members attend a meeting to discuss National Election Committee reform at the Senate in Phnom Penh on Monday. Heng Chivoan

An exercise in futility?

Wed, 26 March 2014

In mid-February, as the ruling and opposition parties declared they would restart formal talks focusing on election reform in a bid to finally end months of political deadlock, observers predicted that little would be achieved.

It had been roughly six weeks since a violent crackdown on protesting opposition supporters and striking workers put a swift end to burgeoning anti-government protests and seemingly put the ruling party back in the driver’s seat.

“I appreciate that they will start [formal] negotiations, but, for me, they will be useless. This time, the CPP has great power and the CNRP has very little power at the negotiating table,” political analyst Kem Ley told the Post at the time.

On Monday, following the fourth meeting of a bipartisan election reform committee that was formed as a result of those talks, Ley’s comments appeared prescient.

Frustrated after weeks of flip-flopping from the Cambodian People’s Party on the opposition’s key demand of National Election Committee reform, the Cambodia National Rescue Party threw in the towel, halting lower-level talks and demanding a meeting between top party leaders.

“If the [CPP] understands that NEC reform is an important priority, wants to have a real, independent NEC and wants to actually solve problems rather than [simply] delay, [they] should respond to what the [CNRP] has requested,” deputy CNRP leader Kem Sokha said yesterday, warning that his party would lead more demonstrations if its demands are not met.

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Why allowing dual citizens to vote from a broad is important?

CEROC public logo (Courtesy of Sovann Khemara)

CEROC public logo
(Courtesy of Sovann Khemara)

A research article by Center for Immigrant Studies articulated on the importance of having dual citizenship abroad to vote in their home countries.

  1. Voting is one of the essential elements for citizenship and a critical part of belonging to a political community.
  2. Voting is the heart of civic responsibility.
  3. Voting can help their home countries with an advantages of social and economic development.
  4. Voting is one principal way of organizing and extending their influence and of reestablishing and reinforcing immigrant ties to their “home” countries.

Note that, there are many other arguments the paper has illustrated. Please, read this paper for more conceptualized framework.


CNRP calls for top-level meeting

Members of the CPP (left) and CNRP talk during a meeting over National Election Committee reform at the Senate

Members of the CPP (left) and CNRP talk during a meeting over National Election Committee reform at the Senate in Phnom Penh yesterday. Heng Chivoan
Op-Ed: The Phnom Penh Post
CNRP calls for top-level meeting
Tue, 25 March 2014

The opposition party yesterday called for a postponement of election reform talks with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party in favour of a meeting between top party leaders, citing the continuing failure of a lower-level joint committee to agree on National Election Committee overhaul.

The discord was such that following more than two hours behind closed doors at the Senate – though CPP officials later said talks had only lasted 30 minutes before the opposition cancelled the meeting – the two parties not only failed to issue a joint statement, but also wanted to hold separate, but simultaneous, press briefings.

After complaints from reporters, they agreed to hold them one after the other.

Son Chhay, the CNRP’s head delegate to the committee, said his party wished to postpone talks because CPP delegates were refusing to focus discussions on NEC reform.

“Our delegation to the committee reached the limit of decision-making [possibilities] in today’s meeting, [so] we could not make any decision on a joint statement or agreement,” he said.

“I would like to stress that our delegation . . . will not stop negotiations. But [further talks] depend on discussing NEC reform.”

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